STBI continues funding for health education programs

Priscilla Alejos, from
Edinburg North High School, attends a Med/Ed course. Med/Ed is a
program supported by the South Texas/Border Region Health Education
Initiative.

Nearly $6 million is allocated this fiscal year for
continuing and new programs under the Health Science Centerís South
Texas/Border Region Health Education Initiative (STBI). The STBI budgets are
$2,481,673 for the Lower Rio Grande Valley, $1,570,000 for the Mid Rio Grande
Border Region, $1,310,000 for the Coastal Bend Region and $500,000 for the Del
Rio/Winter Garden Region.

Funding appropriated by the Texas Legislature assures
continued education and clinical training for students and health care
professionals in the four regions. In 1995, with local educators and health
professionals, the Health Science Center began educational programs as part of
the STBI, a state legislative project to enhance training in the region for
students interested in health careers. The current programs in the four regions
were reviewed, respectively, by a local advisory committee in the Valley, a
local advisory committee in Corpus Christi, the Mid Rio Grande Border Area
Health Education Center (AHEC) Board and the Del Rio/Winter Garden Region AHEC
Board.

In addition to continuing programs, the Lower Valley
budget for the fiscal year ending Aug. 31, 2001, will fund a new project in
public health nursing at The University of Texas at Brownsville and an extension
to Harlingen and Cameron County of the highly
successful health careers-motivating program, Med/Ed.

Third-year medical student clerkships in pediatrics will
be continued at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen. Also, continued
clinical training for medical students and residents in
family practice and psychiatry will complement activities at the Health Science
Centerís Regional Academic Health Center in Harlingen.

Mid Rio Grande: Dental student education at Gateway
Community Health Center in Laredo; the training program for prosthodontic
residents at Gateway Community Health Center; medical student family
practice training at Mercy Regional Medical Center; ophthalmology training
and screenings in the Lions Club Mobile Van; South Texas
Environmental Education and Research Center (STEER) programs with the Webb
County Health Department and other community health centers; and health
career opportunity programs to inspire high school students to pursue
careers in health care.

Coastal Bend: Family practice training programs for
medical students and residents at Spohn Memorial Hospital and Bay Area
Medical Center and a Ph.D. nursing program offered jointly with Texas
A&M-Corpus Christi via telecommunication networks.

Del Rio/Winter Garden: Occupational therapy education
at Winter Garden Border community health centers, dental student education
at area clinics, a vocational nursing program at Southwest Texas Junior
College and health career opportunity programs to inspire high school
students to pursue careers in health care. Winter Garden Region programs
were first funded by the STBI in fiscal year 2000.